Chain conveyer.



"H, B. HOLT. CHAIN CONVEYER.

APPLICATION IILI JD MAR, 2, 1914 Patented Dec. 22, 71.91%.'

HAIREIS' 3. E0131, 6 DORMQNT BOROUGH,

LPENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ROSEDALE EUUNIDRY dc llIACI-IINE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A GORPOEML TIGN 01 LE'ENNSYLVAISHIA CHAIN CONVEYEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lies. as, iota.

application filed. March 2, 1914. Serial No. $21,833.

To all whom it may concern:

it known that I, HARRIS B. Hour, residing at Dorrnont Borough, of Allegheny and State of Pemisylvania, a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented or discovered certain new and useful limproveinents in Chain Conveyors, of which improvement the following is a specification. 1.

lily invention relates to continuous chain conveyers, has particularly to do with conveyors known as chain grates for furnace stokers.

The object thereof is to provide links and connecting rods of such a character that the links may be laterally applied to or removed from the rods, rather than slipping the rods through the links, the attachment to or removal of one end of a link from a rod, when the other end. of the link is rotatably mounted on. an adjacent rod, being ellected solely by the simultaneous rotation of the first named rod on its axis and the link upon the second named rod.

In the accompanylng sheet of drawings,

.which forms part oi my specification, I have illustrated the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a chain conveyor particularly adapted to he used as a part of a furnace stolrer; Fig. 2 a combination. side and longitudinal secpreferred embodiment of my ltional View of the chain illustratelil in Fig.

l; and Fig. a View, to enlarged scale, of a link and a pair of adjacent connecting rods, the link being shown in an intermediate positimi of being removed from or attached. to the right hand connecting rod.

In the several figures like numerals are used to designate like parts.

111 the practice of my invention all or a portion of the conveyor may be constructed links and rods embodying my improve merits. in Fig. 3 there is shown a pair of adjacent parallel connecting rods 1 and 2 and a single grate link. For purposes of description and definition the rod 1 may be called a holding rod and the rod 2 a looking rod, although. it will be readily understood from the further description of the rods that the holding rod may have the same in the county general structural characteristics as the locking rod. The link, which has a coal sustaining face 8, is provided at its opposite ends with seats land 5 for the rods 1"and 2, respectively, the seat l preferably ha ing any suitable open slot leading to it, so that the link may be applied laterally to the rod 1. The seat 5 also has a rod-receiving slot leading to it, but of a configuration essentially restricted With-relation t0 the relative positions of the rods 1 and 2 and the form of the rod 2. ,s shown herein the outer side of the slot leading'to the seat 5 is formed by a tongue 6, the end of which faces or points toward the seat 4. The rod 1 is preferably cylindrical throughout, while the rod 2 is provided with preferably a single continuous groove or recess 7 longitudinally oi its axis.

The rod 2 is rotatable, and, when. the rod 1 is in the link seat 4 and the trod 2 turned with itsrecess 7 facing the tongue 6, the *tip of the tongue rests in the recess, as shown in Fig. 3. However, when the link is thus applied to the rod 1, the unrecessed surface of the rod 2, when the several successiye points thereof are turned to heir most remote position from the center of the seat l or rod 1, are at a greater distance from the center of such seat than is the tip of the tongue 6. By such an arrangement it will be seen that, when the link and rods are in the positions indicated in Fig. 3, a turning of the rod 2 in a right handed direction will cause the link to he l ed upon such rod, the link simultaneously rotating on the rod 1. After the link is thus attached to the rod 2 it will readily be seen that it cannot be removed without rotating such rod in the opposite or left hand direction.

As shown herein, the link may be, symmetrical, the slot leading to the seat 4.- having a tongue 6 on the outer side, and of the same shape as the tongue \Vhen thus constructed, the slots leading to the seats land 5 incline toward the general center line of the link, and the distancebetwecu,

the tips of the tongue 6 and 6 is less than the distance between parallel planes touching the outer faces of adjacent rods in what ever relative positions such rods may be touching the outer edges of the recess 7 is nearest to a parallel plane touching the outer side of the rod 1% In constructing the chain grate, as illustrated in. Figs. 1 and 2, the cylindrical holding rods 1 are'arranged alternately with the grooved locking rods 2, and the links forming each continuous longitudinal line are staggered with relation to the links of the next adjacent lines. In order to keep the locking-rods from rotating while the conveyer is in use, the outside links 8 are provided with closed rod seats, one of whichseats in each link has a detent 9 adapted to extend into the groove or recess 7 of a rod 2. These outside links may he slipped over the ends of the rods and held thereon by means of cotter pins 10. By looking the rods 2 in the positions indicated in Figs. -1 and 2, the links, unless broken, cannot be removed accidentally unless the rodshoud be twisted through an arc of approximately 270, which, under the conditions of service, is practically impossible. In case any of the links should break, and this is not an unusual occurrence'in chain grates for stokers, it may be replaced by removing the end locking links 8 from the locking rod to which such link wasattached, turning the rod to the posit'ion indicated in Fig. 3, and applying the link in the manner there shown.

I claim as my invention:

.1. In a continuous chain conveyer including transversely arranged rods and rodconneoting links, the combination of a holding rod, a locking rod parallel thereto and pro ided with a longitudinally disposed recess with oppositely disposed walls, and a link provided at its ends with rod seats and extending between and rotatable upon each of said rods, the seat for the locking rod having an open slot leading thereto, the outer face of the slot terminating in a tongue facing the holding rod seat; the end of the tongue fitting into the recess of the locking rod when such recess facesthe tongue; and the outer surface of the u'nrccessed portions of the locking rod, as the successive points thereof are turned to'their' most remote positions from the holding rod seat, being of a greater distance from the center of such seat than the tip of the tongue, whereby the link may be attached toor removed from the locking rod solely by the sii'nultzmeous rotation of the link upon the holding rod and the locking rod upon its own axis.

2. In arcontinuous chain convcyer including transversely arranged rods and rod-connecting links, the combination ol'xa holding rod having a substantially unbroken cylindrical surface, a cylindrical. locking rod parallel thereto and'providcd with :1 ionopen slot leading thereto, the outer face of the slot terminating in a tongue lacing the holding rod seat; the points of the surface of locking rod, except the recess therein, being, when such points are turned to their most remote positions "from the center of the holding rod seat, at a grcatcr distance from said seatccnter than the tip of the tongue, whereby the link may be attached to or rc moved from the locking rod solely by the simultaneous rotation of the link upon the holding rod and the locking rod upon its own axis.

3. In a continuous chain conveyor including transversely arranged rods and rod-connecting links, the combination of a h lding rod, a locking rod parallel thereto rotatable and provided with a longitudinally disposed recess, a link provided at its ends with red seats and extending between and rotatable upon each of said rods, the seats having rod receiving slots leading to them, the outer margins of such slots being formed by tongues having their tips facing each other and the center line of the link, the distance between the tips of t e tongues being less than the minimum distance between parallel planes touching the outer faces of the rods, as the locking rod rotates.

4. In a continuous chain grate for a furnace stoker including transversely arranged rods and rod-connecting links, the combination of parallel alternately arranged holding and locking rods, each holding rod having a substantially unbroken cylindrical surface and each locking rod being rotatable and providedpvith a, continuous longitudinal groove; a plurality of intermediate longitudinal lines of links, each link extending between and rotatably mounted upon an adacent pair ot rods, the links l'ornnng each line being staggered with relation to the links of the next adjacent lines; each of said links being provided at its ends with rod seats having rod receiving slots leading to them, the outer faces ol such slots being formed by tongues having their tips facing each other andthe center line of the link, the distance between the tips oi the tongues of eachlink being less than the minimum distance between parallel planes touching .the outer faces oi the rods to which such link is attached as the locking rod rotates; and a. line of locking linksut each edge of the grate, each of said locking links engaging a locking rod and holding it immovable with relation to an adjacent holding rod.

5. In a chain grate including transvcisely arranged rods and rod-connecting links, the combination of two rods extending in parallellsm, and a connecting link; the two rods being substantially cylindrical, one of them of sai'ci recess-provided rod 011 its own axis; prevlded with a recess having oppositely and said link on said other rod. ,10 disposed'walls and being rotatable; the said In testimony whereof I have hereunto set link being provided with rod seats; one of my hand.

' HARRIS B. HOLE.

5 saii red. seats beig accessible to said recessprovided rod thr'e'glgh a slot Whose outer Witnesses: lip 'ovez'hql l s in tfie'direction of the other PAUL N. CRITGHLOW,

rod seat; mild in the simultaneous'rotation FRANCIS J. TOMASSON, 

